Conventional storage systems are comprised of fixed shelving either supported by the floor, wall, or ceiling. These storage systems are fixed and rigid and limited in height and depth and by one's ability to reach all areas of the shelving. Fixed systems like these can be found throughout the home to include the garage area and offer homeowners the ability to add storage. However, these systems, if they are present as overhead storage systems, do not provide easy access to the homeowner who desires to store goods. The homeowner sometimes is required to lift heavy objects and/or goods to properly store the objects/goods in the storage space, thereby providing the opportunity to cause back, neck, or other injuries to the homeowner.
Some garage storage systems make use of a hoist to raise and lower a platform via a single cable, while other hoists make use of garage door drums and multiple steel cables to lift a single storage platform. These systems require one drum for every cable used to lift the platform when using multiple anchor points attached to the platform. Additionally, each drum must be keyed to a drive shaft securely to ensure that there is no slippage between the drum and the shaft. Additionally, these types of hoist systems reduce the amount of available overhead space as a result of the large drums, shaft, and anchor points of the platform take up overhead space and the inability to pull the platform close to the ceiling that the system is mounted to. Thus, it is with these drawbacks in mind that the overhead storage system of the present invention was developed.